1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to systems, devices and methods for elevating a portion of an awning sheet of an awning structure to prevent the accumulation of water and other debris thereon, and in particular, various systems and devices configured to be installed on conventional awning structures to elevate a portion of an awning sheet thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Awnings are well known devices which attach to various structures, such as, for example, residential homes and recreational vehicles, to provide protection from rain, sun and other elements.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show one particular conventional awning structure 10. The awning structure 10 includes a retractable awning sheet 12 coupled between a base member 14 and a lead member 16. The lead member 16 is retractably extendable to move between an extended position in which the awning sheet 12 is supported between the base member 14 and the lead member 16 in a cantilevered manner from a structure 22, such as a house as shown in FIG. 1, and a retracted position in which the awning sheet 12 is collected within the base member 14 near the structure 22. The lead member 16 is coupled to the base member 14 by a pair of extendable arms 18 which articulate between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration to move the lead member 16 between the retracted position and the extended position, respectively. Further details of this type of awning structure 10 can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,957,679, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIG. 10 shows another conventional awning structure 10″. Similar to the aforementioned awning structure 10, the awning structure 10″ of FIG. 10 includes a retractable awning sheet 12″ coupled between a base member 14″ and a lead member 16″. The lead member 16″ is retractably extendable to move between an extended position in which the awning sheet 12″ is supported in an extended manner between the base member 14″ and the lead member 16″, as shown in FIG. 10, and a retracted position in which the awning sheet 12″ is collected within the base member 14″. The base member 14″ is securely coupled to a house structure 22″ and the lead member 16″ is coupled to the base member 14″ by a pair of telescoping or articulating arms 18″. The lead member 16″ is also supported by a pair of telescoping or articulating legs 19 which may be secured to a base or floor structure 26, as shown in FIG. 10, or the house structure 22″ during use.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 10, when deployed for use, the awning sheets 12, 12″ of such conventional awning structures 10, 10″ often accumulate water 20, 20″ and/or debris which can create adverse safety conditions and other undesired consequences, such as, for example, damage to the awning structures 10, 10″. Similar problems exist for other conventional awnings. To address this common problem, various devices, including bow-like devices, have been designed to interface with awning structures to prevent or reduce the accumulation of water and debris thereon. Examples of such devices can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,174,352; 5,203,393; 5,449,032; and 6,494,246. These devices, however, suffer from a variety of deficiencies including, for example, cumbersome assembly and/or installation requirements. In addition, many known devices for preventing the accumulation of water on awning structures interfere with the ability to retract the awning sheet, thereby often requiring the devices to be removed prior to retraction and storage of the awning sheet. Still further, many known devices for preventing the accumulation of water on awnings are overly complex, often requiring the use of many bow-like elements and associated mounting components.